FISHEiS OF THE PHOEISTIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS 37 



6(1. Gill openings in a black blotch ; body mottled or with black blotches 

 iu a more or less uniform pattern or in rows ; vomerine teeth 

 usually biserlal or in irregular row; although rim of posterior 

 nostril is a little elevated the nostril occurs from over front of 

 eye to over front of pupil. 

 7a. Body mottled to blackish, with motllings sometimes obscure but 

 always lighter areas or lines are visible anteriorly by careful 

 inspection; iu young 80 to 100 mm. long black blotch around 

 gill opening is obscure but even in darkest color phase mot- 

 tling is visible; margin of median fins with narrovv' p;ile edges 

 posteriorly ; vomerine teeth biserial or one irregular row ; color 

 in life, a brilliant green stripe on outer margin of dorsal and 

 anal fins along their entire lengths and on caudal fin ; body 

 otherwise very blackish brown with light brown mottlings ; fine 

 longitudinal black lines on lower sides of head. 



Gymnothorax flavimarg'inata (Riippell) 

 "h. Black blotches in about three irregular rows with pale brown 

 interspaces, these arranged in a somewhat definite color pat- 

 tern ; blotches on head fine, and in large adult specimens pale 

 brown interspaces with numerous small black spots ; margin 

 of median fins posteriorly in adults at Itast without distinct 

 white edges : ventrally large black blotches give way to either 

 smaller spots or anteriorly abdomen is almost plain pale brown ; 

 vomerine teeth in an irregular row or biserial anteriorly; large 

 adults lack inner row of teeth on maxillary, but some of teeth 

 are much longer than others. (Fig. 4, f.) 



Gymnothorax javanicus (Bleeker) 



66. Giil openings not in a black blotch. 



8a. Middle teeth of intermaxillary plate little enlarged or not longer 



than marginal series, in combination with absence of inner 



row of maxillary teeth except on specimens 200 mm. and shorter, 



when one to three teeth may occur; inside of mouth sometimes 



spotted; vomerine teeth usually biseral or in an irregular row, 



always biserial in adults ; mouth closes. 



9fl!. Color pattern usually consists of black specks or tiny black 



spots, but these are evenly distributed and not arranged to 



form bars; in young up to about 100 mm. in length round 



black spots, size of pupil, are arranged in four to six irregular 



rows on each side of body; from 150 to 200 mm. these spots 



have pale centers ; 200 to 300 mm., blackish rings become 



broken into small spots arranged more or less as a ring of 



small spots; on larger specimens body becomes speckled with 



tiny black spots very close together ; another color phase 



shows these spots expanded to form a mottled pattern, or 



with appearance of white dendritic specks between black spots 



but never arranged to form cross bars ; rim of posterior nostril 



a little elevated; inside of mouth usually Tphx'ni pale. 



(Fig. 5, 7(.) Gymnothorax picta (iVhl) 



96. Color pattern mottled, somewhat approaching that of G. picta 



in its mottled phase, but overlaying this mottling are about 



50 to 60 dendritic blackish bars in combination with a barred 



lower jaw and upper lip; inside of moulh usually spotted. 



Gymnothorax ricliardsoni (Bleeker) 



